u003cbu003eAn instant u003ciu003eNew York Times u003c/iu003eand indie bestseller, u003ciu003eDopesick u003c/iu003eis the only book to fully chart the devastating opioid crisis in America: "a harrowing, deeply compassionate dispatch from the heart of a national emergency" (u003ciu003eNew York Timesu003c/iu003e) from a bestselling author and journalist who has lived through itu003c/bu003e u003cbu003eu003cbru003eu003c/bu003eIn this masterful work, Beth Macy takes us into the epicenter of America's twenty-plus year struggle with opioid addiction. From distressed small communities in Central Appalachia to wealthy suburbs; from disparate cities to once-idyllic farm towns; it's a heartbreaking trajectory that illustrates how this national crisis has persisted for so long and become so firmly entrenched. u003cbru003e Beginning with a single dealer who lands in a small Virginia town and sets about turning high school football stars into heroin overdose statistics, Macy endeavors to answer a grieving mother's question-why her only son died-and comes away with a harrowing story of greed and need. From the introduction of OxyContin in 1996, Macy parses how America embraced a medical culture where overtreatment with painkillers became the norm. In some of the same distressed communities featured in her bestselling book u003ciu003eFactory Manu003c/iu003e, the unemployed use painkillers both to numb the pain of joblessness and pay their bills, while privileged teens trade pills in cul-de-sacs, and even high school standouts fall prey to prostitution, jail, and death. u003cbru003e Through unsparing, yet deeply human portraits of the families and first responders struggling to ameliorate this epidemic, each facet of the crisis comes into focus. In these politically fragmented times, Beth Macy shows, astonishingly, that the only thing that unites Americans across geographic and class lines is opioid drug abuse. But in a country unable to provide basic healthcare for all, Macy still finds reason to hope-and signs of the spirit and tenacity necessary in those facing addiction to build a better future for themselves and their families. u003cbru003e u003cbu003e"An impressive feat of journalism, monumental in scope and urgent in its implications."--Jennifer Latson, u003ciu003eThe Boston Globeu003c/iu003e u003cbru003eu003cbru003eu003c/bu003e
